SECOND DEGREE: Social Service

CORRECTION (2/27): A quotation in Tuesday's story on the School of Social Work misattributed a quotation to Social Work Dean Michael Austin. It was said by Admissions Dean Orneice Leslie. Picture a promising, young commodity trader on the Chicago Exchange. He is bright and respected, with a six-figure salary at the age of 26. He's the prototypical Wharton-bred yuppie, except for one thing: he goes to night school, pursuing a masters degree in social work. When he completes his degree, he dumps his prestigious job, his hefty salary and his upwardly-mobile future for a career in social work. Michael Austin, dean of the School of Social Work, told this story to illustrate the growing social awareness which is leading many to select careers in social work. "He was concerned about the impact of drugs on inner city kids," said Austin. "His previous career gave him money and prestige, but he didn't get the satisfaction and feeling of social worth that he needed." While cases like this one still represent the exception, there has been a large increase in interest for social work. Applications to schools of social work are up throughout the country, including an estimated 20 percent increase at the University. The recession and a growing sense of social awareness are most often cited as causes for the large increase. · "During a recession, applications to graduate schools increase -- it's a known fact," said Muriel Reed, Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions at Columbia's School of Social Work. "People go back to school to wait out the recession for better times." "Ever since the Wall Street crash of 1987 the trend has been a swing away from glamour fields such as law and business. As things get more and more competitive, there are fewer career opportunities," said Reed, who estimated that Columbia's admissions are up 50 percent over this time last year. The recession has caused many to rethink their decisions and look elsewhere for possible careers. A graduate degree from a school of social work can offer access to many jobs. "Our two-year master program prepares students for a wide variety of fields. The market place is very significant, since the human service industry is now one of the largest in the country," said Austin. · Many people are also more aware of the problems facing society today and are more determined to do something about it. "Many social issues are much more visible now. We used to talk about problems such as the homeless, drugs, AIDS, rape, etc. Now we see them around us and are forced to deal with them on a personal level," said Orneice Leslie, assistant dean and director of admissions of the University's School of Social Work. "People are now more mature," said Nancy Kirby, director of admissions at Bryn Mawr's School of Social Work, who estimates a 25 percent increase in applications. "Before, their choices were dictated by society, they wanted to work in fields that society said were prestigious, such as business or law. Now some people have the courage to affirm themselves and their convictions and work in a field such as social work." On a broader plane, Austin said he sees a general change in attitudes. "I think more people are starting to have a commitment to social issues and community values," he said. "Many are disenchanted with corporate life. They might make a lot of money, but they feel they have no sense of social worth." "The careerist, yuppie-oriented dreams of the eighties have shifted, especially in the younger generations," said Austin. "Now that resources are becoming scarce, people realize that they need to think more of others, not just themselves, and that they're part of a global interdependent community." · Social work administrators said the trend in social concern parallels the 1960s, a time when people were also aware of the problems facing society. Many at this time had the courage and enthusiasm to change and the ideals and values to guide these changes. While there are similarities, the "caring 1990s" are different, officials say. "In the 1960s, there was no recession, the push came from brilliant leaders, who gave us the jolt we needed to wake up and become aware of injustice," Social Work Admissions Dean Leslie said. "Today, people are starting to become socially aware because they have no choice, the service need is so great that they have to deal with it." Austin said he sees the same trends. There is a great need for social work today, and that could be enough to spark a change in attitude, despite the lack of great leaders such as Malcolm X and John Kennedy. "The younger generations are discovering that the politics of the 1980s are having major consequences," said Austin. "The Reagan era, with its increase in military spending and cuts in social spending, reflected a national insensitivity to the needs of the less fortunate." Austin said he believes that the November election will determine whether the social movements of the 1990s will match those of the 1960s. "If Bush isn't defeated and the recession deepens, then social awareness will inevitably suffer," he said. · Officials say there are likely other factors contributing to the rise in interest. Until five years ago, applications to social work schools had declined steadily, coinciding with the rise of the "me" generation. This decline led to heavy recruiting on the part of graduate schools, and the results are visible today. "When I went to career fairs in the past, there was always light to moderate traffic at the social work booth, while the business and law schools got mobbed," said Columbia's Reed. "This fall, it was almost the reverse. I was sitting next to a woman representing a business school, and I had many more students coming to me." Careers in social work are now much more marketable than they were in the past, because the industry has grown, officials say. It includes fields as diverse as child welfare, mental health care, and adult corrections. It offers the kind of flexibility few other fields can provide. The decline of opportunities in clinical psychology has also pushed people towards social work. Some students with psychology or sociology degrees go for a graduate degree in social work when they fail to find openings in the highly competitive field of clinical psychology. First-year graduate student Donna Pinto said she enjoys social work because it allows her to work with people. "One of the best ways to achieve change and improve conditions for people is social work," she said. University Social Work graduate students work as interns in field practice agencies in places as diverse as the Albert Einstein Medical Center, the Central New Jersey Jewish Home for the Aged and the Juvenile Law Center. Pinto works at the John Bartram High School for Human Services on 42nd and Ludlow streets. She acts as the social worker for seniors. "I deal with truancy and absences," she said. "I talk to students with problems and work with adolescent mothers. It's very gratifying to realize that the students know that I'm there for them whenever they need me." Several administrators said that there were unifying characteristics common to all social workers which allow them to have the strength to struggle to meet their goals while at the same time maintaining the sensitivity necessary to be receptive to their community's needs. "Social workers carry with them a certain set of values," Austin said. "They are keen on dealing with injustice, improving the community, and combating oppression, racism and sexism. Without these they can't really be good social workers."